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The 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship got underway on Thursday.
Tickets for the event are $10 per adult per day and $5 per day for children (12 and under) and college students with valid ID and can be purchased in-person at The Ballpark at Jackson. Parking is $5 per day. All seats are general admission for the OVC Championship.
This year marks the 42nd OVC Baseball Tournament (the first elimination style event was held in 1979) and first since May 2019 as last year's event was canceled due to the pandemic. It also marks the return to the venue that previously hosted the OVC Championship from 2010-16.
The Ballpark at Jackson opened in 1998 and has a seating capacity of 6,000. The venue hosted the 1999 and 2011 Southern League All-Star Games. In 2017 and 2018, The Ballpark at Jackson won back-to-back Sports Field of the Year honors from the Tennessee Turfgrass Association. The back-to-back victories marked the first time that any facility in the Volunteer State won the award in consecutive seasons. Jackson is located in the heart of West Tennessee halfway between Memphis and Nashville conveniently on Interstate 40.
Fans can watch the entire 2021 OVC Baseball Tournament live on ESPN+. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for $5.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) or as part of a bundle with Disney+ and ad-supported Hulu ($12.99/month). ESPN+, the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment, is an integrated part of the ESPN App and (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com. More information can be found at
www.OVCSports.com/ESPN.
Game 1: #1 Southeast Missouri 11, #4 Austin Peay 8
Box Score |
Live Video |
Live Stats |
Photo Gallery | Postgame Interviews:
SEMO,
Austin Peay
Game 2: #2 Murray State 8, #3 Morehead State 7 (13)
Box Score |
Live Video |
Live Stats |
Photo Gallery
#1 SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 11, #4 AUSTIN PEAY 8
JACKSON, Tenn. - Wade Stauss went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three runs, a double, walk and three RBI to lead top-seeded Southeast Missouri (28-19) to an 11-8 win over fourth-seeded Austin Peay (22-32) Thursday in the opening game of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
Stauss, who hit multiple home runs in a game for the first time in his career, increased his total to a team-high 13 this season.
SEMO trailed, 3-2, when Stauss followed a three-run home run by Lincoln Andrews with a solo shot to straightaway center as part of a five-run third inning for the Redhawks.
Danny Wright kickstarted the bottom of the third with a single and advanced to second on a base hit by Andrew Keck before the back-to-back round-trippers. Peyton Leeper then doubled and later scored on a single by Jevon Mason putting the Redhawks ahead, 7-3.
The Redhawks tacked on three more runs during their half of the sixth.
Wright ripped a one-out double down the left field line and moved to third on an error. On the next play, Keck belted a double to right center and Wright scored. With two outs, Stauss stepped in and smashed his second home run of the game over the center field wall to stretch SEMO's lead to 10-4.
APSU rallied for four runs with the help of five-straight two-out hits in the top of the seventh.
Malcolm Tipler singled and scored on a base hit by Bobby Head. A two-RBI double by John McDonald and run-scoring single by Jack Alexander trimmed SEMO's lead to 10-8. OVC All-Freshman reliever Kyle Miller pitched out of the jam resulting in the Governors leaving runners at first and second when he forced pinch-hitter Ty DeLancey to hit into a fielder's choice.
The Governors threatened again when they used back-to-back singles to begin the ninth inning. After a fly ball put runners at first and third, left-hander Blake Cisneros came on to record the final two outs. Cisneros struck out Alexander and got TJ Foreman to ground out en route to his second save of the season.
SEMO pulled ahead in the bottom of the first inning. Mason drew a leadoff walk and went to second on an ensuing groundout by Tyler Wilber. Wright followed with a base hit to center and Mason scored to give the Redhawks a 1-0 advantage.
With one out in the top of the second, APSU answered with a two-run home run by Jack Alexander. McDonald singled before Alexander's round-tripper gave the Governors their first lead of the game.
Stauss began SEMO's next at-bat with a double off the right field wall. Danny Sperling singled on the next play to give the Redhawks runners at first and third. Stauss touched home and tied things up at 2-2 on Leeper's sacrifice fly.
Moments after APSU regained a one-run lead with a solo home run by Gino Avros in the top of the third, the Redhawks responded and never turned back.
In his first career postseason start, OVC Pitcher of the Year Dylan Dodd (9-1) registered a season-best 11 strikeouts and did not allow a walk in 6.2 innings. Dodd picked up his sixth-straight win. He also gave up seven runs on nine hits. He has not allowed a walk in 20.1 consecutive innings and recorded 10 or more strikeouts for the third time in 2021. Dodd threw 119 pitches.
Luke Brown (4-2) suffered the loss. Brown scattered 10 hits, walked two, struck out one and allowed seven runs in 2.1 innings.
SEMO and APSU each finished with 14 hits.
Mason and Wright joined Stauss with three hits apiece. Mason went 3-for-4 with a walk, RBI and one run scored, while Wright was 3-for-5 with a pair of runs and two RBI. Additionally, Wilber knocked in SEMO's last run of the game on a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the seventh.
#2 MURRAY STATE 8, #3 MOREHEAD STATE 7 (13)
JACKSON, Tenn. - It took until Friday afternoon to finish but Murray State overcame multiple deficits to top Morehead State 8-7 in 13 innings.
The game began on Thursday but was suspended tied at six entering the 10th innings when weather entered the area. The two teams picked up on Friday to play the final four innings.
Morehead State scored on a Jacob Ferry single in the top of the 12th before Murray State's Brock Anderson launched his 18th home run of the season in the bottom frame to tie the contest.
An inning later David Hudleson had a bunt single that led to a throwing error, allowing Trey Woosley to come all the way from first base to score on a dramatic walk-off play.
Jordan Cozart hit two home runs and finished the game with five RBI for the Racers.
Jake Jones (7-2) was the winning pitcher, pitching a perfect final inning.
Despite striking out 12 in 4.2 innings of relief, John Bakke (1-3) got the loss.